Looking for some help and advice on how to repair the following damage that someone has left on my car without leaving a note or anything!

Been to a couple of garages with most staying just live with it or get the car written off / beyond economical repair. 

Was planning to sell the car before this damage happened but now need to patch it up prior to selling as feel it will impact the price / detract the value and scare away potential buyers.

Wanted to get £800 before the damage now thinking it’s maybe worth far less. 

Just need an honest opinion and whether I should just sell as it is or get it patched up.

Damage is to the near side rear quarter panel where the metal has been impacted above the wheel arch, gauged the metal and torn the bodywork for 200mm / 6inches.

I can provide more pictures if it helps. 

Thank you
 

 

Maybe you can find a new panel for cheap at a scrapyard or something? If not, I'd agree with a write off. That's not something you're fixing easily without replacing it 

Looks like your doors a little bent too so that needs replacing. I'd write off in your shoes if you're already planning on getting rid of it 

I would say it is still worth £1500 at least. You are in Berkshire which is fairly close to London and the car is ULEZ compliant.

Anything compliant with a valid MOT seems to be worth at least £1000 here in London. That is the very low end of the scale, I frequently see cars for sale with worse damage.

How many miles has it done, and how long is the MOT? In my opinion these would affect the price more than the damage.

Thanks for your reply @AntonovAN12

It’s high mileage at 140k and MOT expires in January 2026.

I’ve found a repair panel but perhaps it’s just not worth it?

Your suggestion is just sell as it is?

4 hours ago, willdudeuk said:

Damage is to the near side rear quarter panel where the metal has been impacted above the wheel arch, gauged the metal and torn the bodywork for 200mm / 6inches.

Much of the 'white scrape' will clean off with T-Cut. Then a quick flash over with a can of paint and it will make it look "not as bad".

Other than that, just leave it alone. It will cost at least £400, just to have a bodyshop touch it up and possibly £900 if you wanted a good job, it's simply not worth spending that much.

I'd still value your car at £800 and if the buyer wants to knock £100 off for the damage then so be it.

43 minutes ago, willdudeuk said:

Thanks for your reply @AntonovAN12

It’s high mileage at 140k and MOT expires in January 2026.

I’ve found a repair panel but perhaps it’s just not worth it?

Your suggestion is just sell as it is?

Forget about a repair panel, it will need welding in and then painting, which will cost more than the car is worth.

As suggested elsewhere by @unofix, clean as much as you can with T-cut, and possibly get an aerosol of paint & touch it up.

Then I would advertise it on Gumtree (free), with lots of pictures, including of the damage. Don't forget the long MOT expiry, that is worth something to someone desperate for a car. Ask at least £200 more than you will accept, then sit back ready to bat off all the stupid offers until someone bites!

I sold my damaged Astra estate on Gumtree three years ago, damage quite like yours, but due to tangling with a Hungarian lorry on a roundabout. (I had to stop because everything in front of me stopped, but he didn't.) That took some sorting out, with the language barrier, and it took more than two years before his insurance company accepted blame (I even got my excess refunded & incident recorded as not my fault).

1 hour ago, willdudeuk said:

Thanks for your reply @AntonovAN12

It’s high mileage at 140k and MOT expires in January 2026.

I’ve found a repair panel but perhaps it’s just not worth it?

Your suggestion is just sell as it is?

I think that would be the best thing to do with it. It is still usable and would pass another MOT with what is only cosmetic damage.

The Mk2.5s seem to be generally higher priced than the pre-facelift Mk2s. This is even if very close in age and mileage.

Have a look at ebay completed listing to see what similar cars have sold for, not just the asking prices.

If you do advertise it for sale, make it clear in the advert that it has a long MOT and is compliant with the various low emissions zones.

Sell it as it is, sold as seen, at the same price. Let people knock you down to an acceptable level.

You'll spend far more than the amount of sale value you are going to loose trying to "bodge" that out

15 hours ago, willdudeuk said:

Was planning to sell the car before this damage happened ...

There's your answer. If you were keeping the car it may be worth investing time/money on getting it sorted. You'll never get your money back in just selling it. Bite the bullet, accept that sometimes sh*t happens, and look forward to driving it's replacement.

As has been said, rear quarters are not simple bolt on panels.  They're part of the monocoque chassis and need to be welded in.  I'd be surprised if you could get one welded in and paint matched, along with the door, for much less than a grand.

Completely agree with Dave here, just advertise at £800 and let people knock £50 off for the scuff.  Any DIY attempt would just be wasting time and money, not adding anything to sale price.

21 hours ago, willdudeuk said:

 

Been to a couple of garages with most staying just live with it or get the car written off / beyond economical repair. 

From a safety point of view, the car is a risk purchase at this point. Damage to rear quarter panel means less protection in a crash. I would never put my daughter in the back of a car with that damage personally. 

Insurance write off means the insurance company takes it as it is and its their responsibility to either repair it to protect people or scrap it. 

By all means feel free to sell it, but to protect yourself I'd disclose in the advert clearly that safety is potentially impacted especially for passengers in the rear. 

A scuff on a rear quarter is never going to kill anyone😆

But thanks for that👍

9 minutes ago, DaveT70 said:

A scuff on a rear quarter is never going to kill anyone😆

But thanks for that👍

Rear bent and has cracking, wheel arch bent rendering it a safety risk, door bent rendering it a safety risk. Deadly stuff not worth playing chicken with lives. 

Much more than a scuff mate. The car is an injury/death trap in the event of a major crash. Would probably pass MOT but doesn't mean it would protect someone like it's supposed to. 

Too many cars on the road play with lives with advice such as the one quoted here. 

How well would you expect a 20 year old Mk2 Focus to fair in a crash against a modern SUV anyway?  I wouldn't be putting kids in any Mk2 out of choice.  Crash standards were totally different back then.

This car isn't any more of a danger than any other Mk2.  Please be mindful of spreading fear on here.

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

How well would you expect a 20 year old Mk2 Focus to fair in a crash against a modern SUV anyway?

Well said Tom, my own 20 year old Mk2 would just crumble in a crash, that's why my strategy is to drive really carefully 🤣

48 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

own 20 year old Mk2 would just crumble in a crash

They're designed to use less energy to recycle them 🤣

16 hours ago, Eli_P said:

Rear bent and has cracking, wheel arch bent rendering it a safety risk, door bent rendering it a safety risk. Deadly stuff not worth playing chicken with lives. 

Much more than a scuff mate. The car is an injury/death trap in the event of a major crash. Would probably pass MOT but doesn't mean it would protect someone like it's supposed to. 

Too many cars on the road play with lives with advice such as the one quoted here. 

I think we'll agree to disagree.

If you want to write off a perfectly good car just for a scuff then that's up to you

32 minutes ago, DaveT70 said:

I think we'll agree to disagree.

If you want to write off a perfectly good car just for a scuff then that's up to you

Comes from personal experience writing off my previous Astra after being hit from the back. Got my mk2 with the payout. Just my opinion on risk, not saying I'm right 🙂

1 hour ago, Eli_P said:

Comes from personal experience writing off my previous Astra after being hit from the back. Got my mk2 with the payout. Just my opinion on risk, not saying I'm right 🙂

If your 2005 Mk2 (same as mine) was hit up the back, your rear subframe would collapse (it'll be very rusty as is), pushing itself into the center of the car, it'll be written off too...